Merton College MS. 34

Former shelfmark: A. 3. 8

AUGUSTINE ON THE PSALTER, PART II; S. XIV 2/4

Language(s): Latin

fols. i-ii, iii^rv blank.

(fols. 1–384v)

AUGUSTINE, Enarrationes in Psalmos 77–148

Rubric: Incipit tractatus de psalmo septuagesimo septimo

Incipit: Psalmus iste ea continet quem ueteri populo diuinitus acta narrantur

Explicit: (ends impf. in Ps. 148: 17; catchwords) Cantus est cum laude Dei

CPL 283; CCSL 39–40 (2^nd edn., 1990), p. 1066 – 40, p. 2176 line 39.

(fols. 385–412v)

An index in 4 cols of first verses of each Psalm

Subject-index, ‘Abissus—Zelus

Incipit: Abissus dicuntur in profundo peccati

fol. 413rv blank

Physical Description

Secundo Folio: figure nostre

Form: codex

Support: Parchment

Extent: 416 leaves (iii + 413)

Dimensions (leaf): 355 × 220 mm.

Dimensions (written): 265 × 160 mm.

The edges lightly retrimmed and stained yellow.

Collation

A⁴(1 canc.; 2 is largely glued to 3); 1–34¹², 35⁴, a singleton; catchwords. The first and last leaves were formerly pastedowns. A quire is missing after 33.

Layout

Ruled with crayon in 2 cols of 43 lines.

Hand(s)

The same as MS 33. At the foot of the first leaf of several quires are pencilled variants of ‘Laur’ de ?Canle’ (fol. 49), presumably the scribe.

Decoration

On fol. 1 a 5-line initial in gold on a square ground, pink and blue with white tracery; a full border of the same. On fol. 389v an 8-line initial, red and blue flourished in both colours. Blue initials flourished in red. Red tituli and sometimes lemmata; red or blue paraphs in the indexes.

Binding

Late medieval, heavily repaired by Maltby: oak boards, chamfered, with slightly projecting squares, now bared, sewn on five bands, rebacked with vellum; formerly two straps and clasps from recesses in the front board to pins replaced by catches on the back. The mark of a brass chain-staple at the foredge of the front board, near the foot. Near the foot of the last leaf are the marks of two iron chain-staples, not corresponding to anything on the board: one consisting of two nail-holes set horizontally 55 mm. apart; the other of two nail-holes set vertically.

History

Origin: S. XIV 2/4 ; England, Oxford (?)

Provenance and Acquisition

MSS 33 and 34 are part of a set.

At the head of fol. iii is ‘M. A. 7’, s. xvii, canc., and ‘m .10.’

On fol. ii^v: ‘Augustinus in Psalmos pars 2ª’, s. xvii; ‘N. 3. 8. Art:’, s. xvii, canc. and replaced with ‘A. 3. 8 (XXXIV)’ in red. The College bookplate.

Record Sources

R. M. Thomson, A descriptive catalogue of the medieval manuscripts of Merton College, Oxford (Cambridge: D. S. Brewer), 2009.

Availability

For enquiries relating to this manuscript please contact Merton College Library.

Bibliography

Coxe, p. 23; Powicke, no. 328; Römer 2. 303; Alexander & Temple, no. 296.

Funding of Cataloguing

Conversion of the printed catalogue to TEI funded by the Warden and Fellows of Merton College .

Abbreviations

View list of abbreviations and editorial conventions.

Last Substantive Revision

2018-08-01: First online publication

A catalogue of Western manuscripts at the Bodleian Libraries and selected Oxford colleges